To say that Orville Rogers lived a full life would be a vast understatement. Known as The Running Man, Orville Rogers is a 101-year-old track star, airline pilot, and investing legend holds multiple world records for running.
Orville was a commercial airline pilot for over 30 years at Braniff Airways. He was inducted into the Braniff Airways Foundation Hall of Fame in 2017.
Orville took up running at the age of 50 while reading the book “Aerobics” by Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper.
He credits Dr. Cooper for saving his life at least one time for motivating him to start running and practice a life of exercise. The doctor also saved his life a second time by discovering a blockage in his heart during testing.
Orville started competing in Masters athletics races and wound up setting records at age 90 and 95. In 2015 he joined a few other nonagenarians, and the team set multiple records running relays.
At the age of 100, Orville set two 100-year-old age group records at the 2018 USATF Masters Indoor Championships in the 60-meter dash and the 400 meters.
🚨🚨 World Record Alert! 🚨 🚨
— USATF (@usatf) March 17, 2018
100-year-old Orville Rogers (lane 2) set a new age group record in the men’s 60m in 19.13 at USATF Masters Indoor Championships! #USATFmasterstrack pic.twitter.com/A3QuZz1iPZ
Orville Rogers was not only a track star and world-record-setting runner but also a serious investor. His money management skills set in during his time as a pilot.
In an interview Rogers gave a few years ago, he explained the realization that his flying career would be relatively short, and he needed to make smart financial decisions.
He began researching stocks and wound up with a multi-million dollar investment portfolio.
Orville and his wife Esther supported many organizations, including the Frontiers of Flight Museum and Dallas Baptist University.
Known as The Running Man, Orville Rogers has a book about his life which everyone needs to read. He’s a real inspiration of faith, determination, and hard work. He’s a great reminder to continue to challenge yourself both physically and mentally as you get older.